Darren Abdilla is the 2017 International One Metre (IOM) National Champion, being the top placed Maltese sailor in the Malta IOM Invitational Open organised by the Malta Model Boat Association.

Sailing his ‘IOM Malteser’ a boat of his own production, Abdilla overcame the stiff challenge of veteran sailor Albert Micallef and last year’s national champion Alan Desira to secure the 2017 title.

The Malta IOM Invitational Open was held at the Mellieha Bay Hotel between the 30th March and 2nd April 2017. 41 sailors from 7 different countries, including Malta, participated in 21 races held over the four days in variable weather conditions that tested the sailors’ set-up and sailing skills.

Stefan Abela from Bank of Valletta’s Marketing Department presented the winners with the National Championship Trophies. ‘As a long term supporter of this event, Bank of Valletta has seen this event grow, both in the number of participants, as well as sailor skills,’ said Mr Abela. ‘As a major supporter of sporting events in Malta, we are proud to see our local sailors pit their skills against sailors from the world’s top nations, some of whom are protagonists in the international scene.’

The International One Metre (IOM) is a class of radio controlled sailing using boats with hulls that are one metre in length, with standardised sails and hulls to emphasise the ability of its sailor.